Geolocation (or localization) is a term that describes a broad range of technologies for deriving the spatial location (e.g., X, Y, Z Cartesian coordinates) of an object by processing transmitted signals that are received, emitted, or reflected by that object. For example, geolocation may include the identification of the real-world geographic location of an object, such as a radar source, mobile phone, or Internet-connected computer terminal. Geolocation may ultimately refer to the practice of assessing the location, or to the actual assessed location. Accordingly, the location of a person may be determined based, at least in part on, data received from a mobile device that the person is carrying or otherwise associated with.
A primary challenge for many geolocation systems is the ability to determine an indoor location or position of a user. For example, traditional location techniques, such as global positioning satellite (GPS) are shown to be unsuccessful in indoor environments because physical barriers degrade GPS signals. GPS relies on accurate distance estimation between the fixed station (GPS satellite) and mobile station (the receiver). This distance is obtained accurately if and only if the link between the two stations is not blocked by any other objects and line-of-sight (LOS) conditions exist between the transmitter and receiver. In indoor environments, however, the GPS signals are blocked by different objects, so they are attenuated to such an extent that they are either not detectable by the receiver or the distance estimation process yields highly inaccurate distance.
Some companies have relied on different methods for dealing with the issues caused by indoor environments by utilizing multiple signal sources, including GPS readings, magnetic field readings, received-signal-strength (RSS) techniques, radiofrequency (RF) signals, and other readings for determining the location of a user within an indoor environment. The current methods, however, suffer from drawbacks. For example, current methods as described above generally require the installation of hardware devices within, or in proximity to, the indoor environment. The hardware devices may include, for example, beacon-type devices configured to capture and record the multitude of signals so as to compensate for the indoor barriers. Furthermore, such methods also require the use of a known layout or floor plan in order to determine the indoor location of the user, wherein, without such known layouts, the systems will fail to function as intended.